Phil Smith

Sunderland boss Simon Grayson says he will continue to ask his squad to adapt to a variety of different systems in the coming months.

Grayson has a reputation for pragmatism when it comes to team selection and has already used a number of different formations in his short time on Wearside.

After a disappointing display against Sheffield United last weekend, when the Black Cats lined up with a five man defence, Grayson moved to reinforce his midfield and saw a better performance against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, if not a better result.

“I surprise myself sometimes!” he said ahead of tomorrow’s Championship trip to Hull City (3pm kick-off).

“I’ve never been one to play one system because it’s not how I work and ultimately I always put groups together so I can change game by game.

“I don’t go for a philosophy or a way of playing because at Championship level it’s just about winning games and playing different ways.

“We’ll have different systems we’ll play throughout the next few months for definite.”

The Sunderland manager has also urged the EFL to follow in the footsteps of the Premier League and shut the transfer window before the start of the season.

The Black Cats began their Championship campaign amid frequent speculation over a number of their senior first team players, and Grayson believes it would be a positive step to make the change.

“You know I am a big advocate of the window shutting before the season starts,” he said. “You then know what squad you have and players not having their head turned or not fully committed to what you are doing.

“The sooner it happens the better and hopefully it comes into the EFL too, so we have the squads available to us from the start of the season to January.”